Wick-straightening means for oil heaters



Mar. 13, 11923.

R. HOFFMAN WICK STRAIGHTENING MEANS FOR OIL HEATERS Filed July 12, 1920 Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

UNITED STATES APATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH HOFFMAN, OP KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS, AssIGNOR To SEARS, RORBUCK AND co.,

or CHIcAGo. ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OP NRWYORK.

Application filed July 12, 1920. Serial No. 395,485. i

To all lwhom Il may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kankakee, in the county yof Kankakee and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wick-Straightening Means for Oil Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

rlhe invention relates in general to oil heaters of the type comprising a reservoir or font for the oil and a burner employing an annular or cylindrical wick mounted for up and down movement with reference to a pair of wick tubes the linner onef of which de ends into the reservoir and serves to guide the wick in its fmovements. Wicks employed in heaters of this type are divided or split at their lower ends to permit of the spreading of the lower end portion of the wick over the bottom of the reservoir around the inner wick tube, so that when the wick is new a substantial portion thereof is flared outwardly over the bottom of the reservoir. After the heater has been in use for a substantial length of time, the tendency of the outwardly flared lower end portion of the wick is to become set so as to retain its outwardly flared form. The result; is that as the wick is gradually consumed in use so that it becomes necessary to elevate it from time to time, the outwardly flared lower end portion thereof is carried a substantial distance above the bottom of the font; hence the heater is operative only when the supply of oil in the font is maintained relatively high. l

The object of the present invention is to provide means of an extremely simple and yet highly elficient character for actingupon the lower end portion of the wick, as the latter is gradually elevated in the use of the heater, to straighten out the outwardly flared portion causing it to assume a position as near the lower end of the font as its length will permit,

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated one form of my improved i wick straightening means, Figure v1 lis a fragmentary vertical section through an oil heater to which my 'invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the employed,l oneon each side of the wick belower end of a wick audits carrier showing the invention applied thereto.

Referring first to Fig. l, I have/shown a heater comprising generally a reservoir or font 3 having associated therewith a burner 4.- comprislnginner and outer wick tubes 5 and 6 whlch'serve tof-guide an annular or `cylindrical wick'7 in its up and down movements. Thevwick 7 is lixedwith reference to a. metallic sleeve constituting a wickv` carrier 8 which is perforated'so as to coact with a toothed .wheel 9 of the usual wick raising and lowering means. 10 designates a flame spreader; having means 11 for limiting the upward movement of the/wick with reference to the wick tubes 5 and 6.` The inner wick tube' preferably depends to the bottom of the font 3, the latter being apertured and flanged inwardly as at l12 to receive the lower` end; of said wick tube which is secured therein as by means vof solder to form a liquid-tight joint. f The lower endportion of the wick is divided or split at diametrically opposite sides, as shown at 13, to permit of the outward flaring of the lowerend portion over a downwardly inclined supporting or bracing ring 14 for the'inner wick tube. Said ring extends between the inner wick tube from a point a short distance above the `bottom thereof to the bottom of thel font at a point spaced outwardly from the lower end of che tube. The outer wick tube 6 preferably terminates in the'top wall of the font being secured thereto in any suitable way.

The vwick straightening means, as illustrated inthe present embodiment `of the `invention, is in the form of one or more helicallycoiled wire springs 15 coacting be- -tween the lower end of the carrierl and the wick ata point adjacent thereto, tending `yieldingly t0 maintain the lower end por! -in the form vvof a hook 17 so vas to readily enga-gewith the lower endof the wick.

'Ireferably at least' two members 15 are .tween the points y13 atv which'the wick lis severed. By this arrangement, each of the side portlons of the wick are maintained 4removed from the burner after having been practically consumed',v and readily applied to a new wick which is to be inserted. The

.' means is extremely simplein construction and yet effectively accomplishes the desired result. l

I claim as my invention:vv

1. In combination with an oil'reservoir, a burner having a wick tube depending into the reservoir, and an annular wick surrounding said wick tube; straighteningl means for the lower end portion of the wick'comprising a member acting between the lower end of the wick 'and a' point on the, wick a substantial distance above the end thereof yieldingly to maintain the lower end of the wick near the bottom of the reservoir.A u

2. The combination with an oil reservoir, a burner having a wick tube depending into the reservoir, and an annular wick surrounding said tube; of means tending to` move the lower end portion of the wick toward the bottom of the' reservoir including a member in the form of a helically coiled wire spring carried by the wick and secured at its i opposite ends to the lower end of the wick and at a point fixed with lrespect to the wick spaced a substantial distance above the lower end thereof. i y

3. The combination with a reservoir, a burner having a wick tube depending into the reservoir and a wick surrounding said tube, of means tending to maintain the lower end portion of the wick near the bottom of the reservoir comprising a resilient straightening member detachably secured at its upper end at a point ixed with respect to the wick a substantial distance above the lower end thereof and engaging at its lower end with the lower end of the wick.

Al., V@the combination with a, reservoir, a

burner having a wick tube depending into the reservoir, and a Vwicksurrounding Athe tube, said wick hav-ing its lower end divided to permit of the outward iiaringfoi' `the lower end portion of the Vwick over the bottom of the reservoiri of meanstending to move the lower end portion vof 'the wick toward the bottom of the reservoir comprising a pair ot resilient straighteningmembers each secured at its upper endat a point fixed with respect to the wick a substantial distance above the lower end thereof and engaging at its lower end with t-he lower end ot the wick, said members being' spaced substantially midway between the point of severance of the lower end portion of the wick.

5. The combination with a reservoir, a burner having a wick tube, a wick surrounding said tube andfliaving a metallic perforated carrier, and raising and lowering means i'or the wick including a toothed wheel adapted to engage with the pertorations of said carrier; of means tending to move the lower end portion of thewick toward the bottom of the reservoir comprising a resilient member having an upper' end portion adapted to be inserted through one of said carrier apertures between the wick and the carrier and a lower end portion in the form of a hook adapted to engage in the lower end of the wick.

6. ln combination with a reservoir, a burner having an annular wick depending into the reservoir, said wick being severed in its lower end "portion so as to permit it to tlare outwardly over the bottom of the reservoir, and straightening means for the lower end portion of the wick comprising a plurality of resilient members movable with the wick and secured at their upper ends in fixed relation to the rwick at a point a substantial 4distance above the lower end of the wick and at their lower ends engaging the lower end of the'wicktending to move it `downwardly toward the bottom vof the reservoir. l

` 7'. The combination with a. reservoir and a burner having a tubular wick depending into the reservoir, of spring means lcarried entirely independently of the reservoir and secured at its ends in'xed relation to the wick and operable to maintain the lower end portion of the wickas near the bottom of the reservoir as is permitted by the length of the wick. f

8. In combination with a reservoir and a burner having aI wick depending rinto the reservoir, of a pair of springs mounted upon and disposedat opposite sides ofthewick to move therewith, said springs being operable to maintain the lc-wer'end portion of the wick as near the bottom of the reservoir as is permitted by the length of the wick.

9. A means tor straightening the tubular wick of an oil heater, comprising a member carried wholly independently of the heater reservoir and secured atV its ends in fixed relation to the wick and operable yieldingly to maintain the lower end portion oi' the wick near the bottom 'of thev reservoir of the heater. i

In testimony whereof, I havfe hereunto set my hand. y y v RUDOLPH HOFFMAN. 

